Love Grows Best In Small Houses

If you follow me on Twitter you KNOW I am a real estate reality TV junkie. I cannot get enough of those houses that feature people shopping for their first homes, or fixing up the space they have. There is something so personal about a person’s home. It says so much about them and taking a peek into the part of their lives that relates to their home really strikes a chord with me (obviously).

And recently I discovered a new show, Tiny House Nation (which airs on every Monday at 9pm ET/10pm PT on FYI Network) that isn’t like a lot of the other shows I watch. What makes this show different is that it isn’t about an average renovation, ‘flip’ or house sale. Instead, it is specifically focused on the tiny house movement and the emotional/financial challenges faced when living in what most people consider a minuscule number (under 500) of square feet.

To put that in perspective, that would mean fitting you’re entire house, into the footprint of a 2-stall garage. YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE.
The average American home is 2300 square feet: almost FIVE TIMES larger... and often the houses are under 300 square feet. A little more than a one car garage, and only 10% of the size of your typical house.

You may think that it is crazy or unreasonable to live in such a small space, but in the Bay Area people are doing just that. Tiny micro-apartments (which would qualify as tiny houses) are common in San Francisco. And the people who live in them.

Often living in a small space requires you to simplify. Have less stuff, less clutter. With a tiny yard we don’t need a fancy tractor or lawnmower. We use a rotary push mower and it works great. We prune the bushes by hand, and even aerate the lawn with a hand tool. Everything is so much simpler.
We have rose-filled flowerbeds, a container garden and fruit trees, a small patch of lawn and a patio with our (small) grill and patio furniture. It isn’t big, but it is still enough of the outdoors that we feel like we aren’t missing out. Being small means that we can focus on other things, and not spend our weekends pushing a mower across acres and acres of lawn.
Downsizing comes with many challenges, but also many rewards. It allows you to focus on what is really important and prune out everything that doesn't really matter. And watching other people's journey though the process can be fascinating. If you want to see some inspirational stories about downsizing, be sure to tune into Tiny House Nation starting December 22, every Monday at 9pm ET/10pm PT on FYI Network. And you can find more information about it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.

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